The English Paysanne

This afternoon after feeding the animals I came into the house to put the kettle on. Walking through to the lounge I noticed something small and brown on the carpet, a cute mouse (it could of been worse!) Three dogs and one cat - useless mouse catchers the lot of them, as they slept this little fellow rested on the rug. It didn't move much as I put it in a jar to let it outside for I cant kill anything with fur, I'm not sure it was feeling that well. Now if the chickens see it outside that's a different matter they don't seem to mind eating any furry/ feathered/ scaled / mollusc's or exoskeleton beings at all. There was no chicken running being followed by other chickens trying to get a look in of mouse so hopefully he got away unseen.

With a glut of eggs fresh pasta, chocolate ice cream and fresh custard have been made, along with a few attempts at trying to make mayonnaise, which I will persevere at and am not to be beaten over a couple of eggs and a dash of oil.  The ducklings are enjoying the outside, the three Pekings are growing at a fast rate. They are so messy and noisy, I've had to place their run away from the house as there driving the dogs, well the dogs barking at hearing the ducklings is driving us mad. I think they are going to be full of character as they get older. Maude and Mabel made a brief appearance outside (after being shooed out of the barn) but again once my back was turned a swift waddle back into the barn there they stayed.  The weathers been mixed with showers and sun, which when out its  a bit hot to be working in the outside. The lavenders in flower now attracting loads of bees, butterflies and moths.  Farmer J's been tidying the hanger ready for this...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie. Fizz, wild cat of La Singlarie (sleeping as usual)

After the sad loss of our mallard duck the large male Muscovy has been wandering around on his lonesome, he hasn't really become chummy with the chickens so to make him happier I tracked down a couple of females of his kind thinking they could be mates together. So here is Maude, on the left grey in colour and Mabel on the right, black and white. I collected them last Tuesday afternoon keeping them in the barn to settle in the hope they would come back without any problem the following evening. So far they have not left the barn apart from today when I ushered them out to go in the field. They flew up on the wall by the barn door and looked around, they must of spent at least three minutes (enough time for me to walk to the gate and walk up our drive where I saw them still looking about). As soon as I was out of sight they must of decided the outside wasn't for them as by the time I had walked along the road to the other barn door there they were back inside. I think ...

 The chickens have been laying an abundance of eggs, changing there laying spots to keep us on our toes.  In the middle to haymaking the weather changed unexpected it caught out a lot of farmers, a short heavy shower put farmer J back a day needing to re turn the grass to dry it out.  Not as much hay has been produced this year unlike last but as we still have 19 big bales leftover we will have enough even covering a couple of months should the cows need feeding earlier this year or later into the spring.  The veggie patch is looking weed free (more or less), I am enjoying my time caring for it catching a few hours here and there although this week has been a tad hot for me. I'm impressed with the shallots and onions I planted not so of the Jerusalem artichokes that have reappeared, and I thought I had removed all those tubers. The first home produced meal  of summer. lettuce and herbs for a salad, new potatoes, rainbow chard and french b...

A moment at La Singlarie this week Early morning ballooning taking off from the bottom of the valley.

With sporadic snippets of time spent weeding and caring for the veggies, watering each evening and still battling with rabbits I did get to the stage of thinking is it all really worth the effort. But I've battled on through with beads of sweat falling in my eyes (that really stings) having to scrub away the mud stains from my feet each night and ease an aching back, fighting with the hose pipe to let me have the water contained in it (you know how when you move it it gets twisted up) and being attacked by ants as I unearth a nest, the tiny brown ants seem to be the most vicious freely giving a bites should you not see one crawling up your leg or arm. And now the benefits of growing your own veg can be seen.The first broad bean plants have finished with a mass of beans in the freezer making way for three melon plants, each protected by a car tyre at the moment (I'm getting wise to these rabbits). The small crop of garlic has been dug up, t...

The little chicks are now big enough to go outside without risk of them getting through the wire of their enclosure, only problem the run was a bit overgrown with grass, weeds and wild mint.  If they had gone out we may never of seen them again! It's bad enough chasing them all in for the first few days before they get the hang of having to be put away at night from Mr Fox. So, today before cleaning them out I strimmed and strimmed, having to stick my head with hat and built in ear defenders into the blue bailing twine macrame (put up to stop the buzzards) every so often moving into a new twine square, loosing the hat and attacked by thistles. It was a little cooler today but still hot enough for my face to turn a red shade with salty sweat dribbling into my eyes - nice.  Once strimmed I collected all that had been cut (more or less, got a bit bored towards the end). Then opened the door for the chicks to come running out and waited. As this was their first adventure...

  Eating pretty food for my birthday or getting my own back on snails with a vegetable mille-feuille with snails.     With the weather turning a tad hot hay cutting has started.    Major broad bean picking and processing with lots of beans eaten and frozen. The raspberries and soft fruit are starting to ripen, yummy. I managed to get a couple of photos of the piglets out in their enclosure, so cute these little piglets are growing very fast. Wallows have been made and enjoyed, if I was a pig I would of spent 24 / 7 in mud cooling down, had to settle for a quick cool when entering the cold room in between processing a pig this week. As I am getting older I am finding I can no longer thrive in hot weather and seem to be turning into a wilting rose so when rain finally arrived Saturday evening it was very welcome for today was far more pleasant with a coffee in Najac where the Sunday market has just begun for t...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie  Who needs an iron when you have  Milo, thankfully he is pressing farmer J's overalls and not the gites sheets (this time). Who needs an iron when you have a Milo

 It's been a wee bit hot and sticky here, with no breeze or let up of showers (which the weather forecast has predicted) to cool us down and refresh the greenery that is growing. So it has come the time for Tyser's annual hair cut. He will lay taking in the attention if you use scissors, electric razor would be out of the question for this is a dog that is scared of his own wind, a gentle giant, a hot gentle giant. Miss F took the job on as she has done in previous years. The only bit he wouldn't have cut was around his beard around his whiskers and the top of his head. He still has no sense and now looks even a bit more dimmer, nice but dim in the dog world. Summer must be coming, farmer J wants his hair cut, lets hope he won't look as dim after his locks are trimmed.